Versante Sud Days of the Great Stone novel mountaineering

Days of the Great Stone by Stefano Ardito is an epic that unfolds among the magnificent limestone walls, snowy couloirs, and icefalls of Gran Sasso, narrating centuries of mountaineering in the heart of the Apennines. Starting from the first ascent by Francesco de Marchi in 1573, this book retraces the hopes, adventures, victories, and tragedies of generations of climbers, from the "Aquilotti" of the 1930s to the post-war Roman "Sucaini", up to the exploits of today's best mountaineers. Within its pages, the feats of legendary figures such as Gigi Mario, Pierluigi Bini, and Paolo Caruso come to life, alongside internationally renowned names like Douglas Freshfield and Giusto Gervasutti, in a choral fresco that celebrates the visceral love for the "Great Stone" and the unquenchable passion for conquering its peaks.